Church group work

John W Tien

This thesis is based upon the hypothesis that there is validity in integrating theological and psychosocial methodology. A further hypothesis is that there is an identifiable developmental process which is applicable to corporate as well as to individual growth and development. Assuming that such an identifiable developmental process exists, it then follows that this process can be used as both a descriptive and prescriptive tool to determine whether or not a specific corporate group in the Christian community, together with its leadership, is developing in a wholesome way. The application which is addressed in this project is to the community of the congregation. The project is itself an integration of previous years of study and learning units for the Doctor of Ministry degree. The practical application of the stated hypothesis is to the development of the congregational life of First Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan from 1977 to 1986.

Stephen A.B. DeWit

The thesis of my project is that listening to the narratives of post-Christian people can inform the way pastors and worship leaders craft and lead worship in order to create an atmosphere where Christians and post-Christian people can be formed side-by-side in worship together. Listening to the stories of post-Christian people gives voice to a growing population of people who find themselves unaffected by the voice of the church and find little or no connection to the Christian message. Pastors and worship leaders listening to the stories of these people can better draw out themes in the liturgy that will communicate not just to Christian, but post-Christian people as well.
The purpose of my project is to help worship leaders and designers consider how they can speak to and be heard by both Christian and post-Christian people in worship. The findings of my project will illustrate the ways post-Christian people might best engage in the liturgy and offer insights to worship leaders and designers on how to enable this engagement.

Ivis Costa Fernandes D.Min.

Many churches live in search of the new model of ecclesiastical functioning that will lead them to the proper care of the flock and to growth. Some varied from one model to the next, in an endless search. Others have been frustrated and are disappointed with the possibility of healthy growth. This is the reality of many churches regarding small group models. What will help churches to develop healthy small groups is a comprehensive understanding of the topic, from some essential perspectives.

The objective of the research was to identify criteria that would guide the Second Baptist Church of Macaé to build a new model of small group ministry suited to its reality and needs. The literature review pointed to six hypotheses of guiding criteria. From in-depth interviews with eight pastors and church leaders with strong small-group ministries, the hypotheses were confirmed.

The research concludes with a proposal of procedure for the implementation of the ministry in the church, as well as suggestions of themes for future studies, which can help in the deepening of practical questions of the research.

Tami F Hooker D.Min.

Incarcerated men often feel abandoned by God. Those feelings of abandonment result in their avoiding the church even if they have been raised in it, in religion shopping or choosing their own understanding of and way of relating to the divine over any religion, and in overt religiosity, Implications of this are that the men no longer identify themselves as children of God as defined by the Christian faith. For some, it means they have no relationship with God or with the Church as a whole or the congregation within prison walls. This work takes a look at prison as exile and exile as trauma using the exile and the trauma that resulted from it as described in the Hebrew Scriptures for comparison. The intervention is a Bible study based on narrative theology that inmates from a state prison created and that I facilitated and evaluated in a county jail. The study is titled "Where was God?" It was created so men could hear stories similar to their own and recognize that those telling them are aware that God had been present in their stories and also explore where similar stories had occurred in Scripture. The authors chose ten topics to explore. They were: where was God when I was hurt, felt alone, felt ashamed, was afraid, was pretending, felt invisible, felt un-forgiven and was unforgiving, felt desperate and in despair. It concludes by asking where was God when I felt hope and when I felt love. The hope was that this would help the participants to see their own stories as part of a divine narrative, which would lead them to build a more authentic relationship to God and healthier relationships with others.

Dong Uk Cho

[In this project paper, the author examines how a church or ministry can] "develop effective methods [of inclusion] so that young adults' groups can participate in class meetings, actively serve small group missions, and grow their faith through 'Bubu-Sokhoe' (young adults and couple class meetings). 'Bubu-Sokhoe' carefully invites young couples based on their age, and whether or not they have children. Members are expected to feel comfortable, reach a consensus, and be ready to step into service and mission. This project focuses on the 'vitality of the small group', ways to encourage participation, and become responsible leaders through 'Bubu-Sokhoe.'" -- Leaf [2].

Mark Thomas Avery

The purpose of this project was to develop a ministry team leadership development strategy for Crossroads Baptist Church of Valdosta, Georgia. The project director implemented the following components within the cope of this project: (1) creating of a leadership needs assessment through in-depth interviews with key leaders; (2) a report on best practices and training models based on extensive research within the field of church volunteer leadership development; (3) development of a leadership training strategy specifically for Crossroads Baptist Church; and (4) presentation of the training strategy to the pastoral staff of the church for approval. Implementation of the strategy was not within the scope of this project.

Jae-poong Kim

In the midst of keeping an eye on the Class Meeting - though given as the crucial means of grace within the Methodist Church - being increasingly formalized and fossilized, this researcher came to reach a keen awareness of the necessity for their renewal. Accordingly, on the theological basis of the Class Meeting - as little churches in a church, in its relation to Methodist Connectionalism, and as the means of grace - this research was committed to an attempt to renew the Class Meeting - namely, the prudential means of grace - by searching the Scripture and prayer, which are Wesley’s instituted means of grace, along with its application to the Class Meeting within Sillim First Methodist Church. As the result, it was found that renewal of the Class Meeting actually took place and participating members of the church experienced God’s grace in the Class Meeting and achieved spiritual growth by New Testament Reading and Prayer School Project.

[Note about entry: Abstract submitted to the Atla RIM database on behalf of the author. The text appears in its entirety as it does in the original abstract page of the author’s project paper. Neither words nor content have been edited.]

Kyle Durbin

While the majority of emphasis given to theatre ministry is based on its capacity to deliver faithful entertainment, theatre ministry is more effective as a means of disciplemaking through the production process. Based, in part, on thorough analysis of the establishment of a new theatre ministry, Frostburg Theatre Company, at Frostburg UMC, and specifically through a production of “Godspell,” the author seeks to prove that theatre ministry is most effective in focusing on the production process rather than the final presentation as evangelism or entertainment.

[Note about entry: Abstract submitted to the Atla RIM database on behalf of the author. The text appears in its entirety as it does in the original abstract page of the author’s project paper. Neither words nor content have been edited.]

Joshua K Posey D.Min.

The purpose of this project is to train selected adults at First Baptist Church in Stevenson, Alabama, with equipping competencies to develop ministry volunteers. The project director will conduct research into the field of ministry volunteers to discover equipping competencies relevant to his ministry context. He will then develop a curriculum to implement in a multi-session workshop for participants. The project director will enlist for this workshop adult participants who are currently in leadership positions or anticipated to hold leadership positions in the future. Participants will learn about the theological foundations for ministry volunteers and skills for developing a healthy volunteer ministry. The project director will measure his success in reaching his project and professional goals by the utilization of expert evaluators, participant feedback, group participation observations, and personal reflection.

Bryan L Brooks

Christian congregations can use small groups to build mutually nourishing connections among young adults aging out of foster care and church members. Working with a nearby foster care organization, the author adapted a traditional Wesleyan small group approach, Covenant Discipleship, to establish a cohort of congregants from his local church and young adults aging out of foster care, a population often overlooked by communities of faith. By flexibly applying Covenant Discipleship techniques and engaging the foster care residents as adults with power to shape the experience, a new model for connecting congregations and young adults transitioning from foster care emerged.